Paid Teacher in Thailand

My experience with The Cultural Exchange Project has been outstanding from start to finish. The initial contact was excellent — the team was responsive, clear about how the program worked, and made a strong first impression right away. Throughout the placement process, from paperwork to visa guidance to pre-departure prep, the support was thorough and reassuring at every step. Once my placement was confirmed, I stayed very satisfied thanks to regular, helpful check-ins that kept me in the loop. And whenever I had questions or concerns, they were answered the same day, fully and clearly. I'd recommend CEP to anyone considering teaching abroad. Especially the short-term teaching program in Thailand, where teachers can teach for 8 weeks and get back to the US before school begins.

Well, I came to teach in Thailand during Covid, so many things are not open and there are many restrictions. But I would say come here with no expectations. Expect nothing just let everything be and don't be afraid to jump in the mix. This could be worth learning the language, making friends and meeting people, or taking on new activities. I decided to head to Thailand to teach because I thought I could learn how to not hold on to so much stress and to de-clutter my life. It is a very chill experience. I can honestly say it worked. GeoVisions really placed me in a great spot. I recommend them for sure. You can’t go wrong with those guys.

My stay in Thailand was amazing!! It wasn't just a place to visit, but a series of divine encounters. My fellow teachers, the students, community of Uttadarit and Xplore Asia as well as the Thai people I met impacted my life in ways I can't express. The attitude of the culture is one of respect and acceptance that goes way beyond what I have experienced anywhere else in my travels. Combine this with the beauty of the country, the food, the travel and the graciousness of everyone I met and I had the Thaime of my life. I would go back to Thailand in a heart beat and I hope I get a chance to someday.

I have been able to meet a lot of friendly people that will go WAY out of their way to help me. You just have to use your extra best judgement to know who is worth your time and who is not. And don't overcompensate for being a foreigner by smiling and being extra friendly (as a female). There are a lot of opportunities to travel. I have yet to see Phuket, but have been to Phung Nga and Koh Luk. I have a broken arm and the cast won't come off until the end of the month (hopefully), so until then I won't be doing much traveling. After a few more months I think I will head up north to check out some of the areas up that way. I am considering volunteering in an elephant sanctuary for a few months before leaving Thailand. So while teaching is going really well, so is the opportunity to experience all Thailand has to offer.

Thailand is an incredible country, and through my program I had an amazing opportunity to gain experience teaching and provide a wide range of English skills to my students. As long as you have an open mind, and aren't afraid of occasionally feeling awkward with not only a language barrier, but a cultural barrier, there's no shortage of new experiences and adventures you can have! During my time here, I found most Thai people are appreciative of the fact that you're putting in the effort to even learn the language. A great way to help you learn about your host country is by visiting the many beautiful temples. I have done this in both Chiang Mai and Bangkok and felt it helped me to understand the rich culture and history of Thailand. I have had incredible support from the beginning of my program, from teaching strategies to feeling safe exploring on my own. During my free time I have even been able to attend music festivals and visit Pai, Khao Yai, down south on the islands. There's certainly no shortage of adventure in Thailand!

I have been teaching in Thailand for just over two months now. I would say that in order to fully get the experience, you have to make an effort to get to know your Thai coworkers. It's easy to get into a routine and do the typical "hello, how are you?" dance. In getting to know them, you can make life long relationships and do things that are once in a life time opportunities, like going to a Thai wedding. Since it is close to New Years, I am very excited to see how they celebrate it here. I have heard that this is one of the biggest celebrations and they go all out for it. In Lampang, they took about 2 weeks to set up lights and displays for New Years. This experience is allowing me to take time for myself. Back home, I try to put everyone else first and sometimes I ran myself tired. I make sure to take the time to relax and do things for me and this program gives me the ability to do exactly that.

This is a great program. You must go with no expectations. You will likely get something completely different, but exactly what you need. The team did a great job preparing me for my time in the classroom and helping me feel confident to go out into my own city in Thailand. It is an experience of a lifetime!

Geovisions was friendly, informative, and helpful from the very beginning. They were also very patient with my many questions, and were available via phone and email. My boyfriend and I applied together and we were successfully placed together, something that we made clear from the beginning was very important to us. Our experience in Thailand has been wonderful. There are of course hiccups along the way, but that is how you learn and grow. Throughout my experience, I have never felt alone- I knew Geovisions and XploreAsia were always available to help me with whatever I needed. I highly recommend Geovisions and teaching in Thailand to anyone!

Like most recent college graduates, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life when I graduated. While all my friends were applying for "real jobs", I decided to take the less traditional route and move to Thailand. When deciding what program I should go through, I just googled "teach abroad in Thailand", applied to about five programs, and crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. Geovisions was the first program to get back to me and after speaking to them on the phone I was sold. They help you with literally everything and answer any questions that you may have at any time. I still feel super well taken care of even though I'm currently half way across the country. The first month of the program was spent in Hua Hin completing a TESOL course and cultural orientation. I highly recommend taking the TESOL course in person rather than online. There are three other foreign teachers at my school and let's just say that I was the most prepared in terms of what to expect out of Thai schools. Completing the TESOL course in person also gives you a really strong support system of people who get what you're going through. It's such a reassuring feeling to know that at the end of a really bad (or good!) day, you have a group of people who you can reach out to, vent about your frustrations, or just have a normal conversation with in English. It also makes traveling cheaper because you have plenty of people you can stay with all around Thailand. Thinking back on my experience, I wouldn't have wanted to do it any other way. Geovisions really helps you out with everything and I'm so happy that I went through them :)

I know it sounds cliché but this was truly one of the best decisions I've made so far. This has been the most challenging, rewarding, and eye-opening experience and I've loved every second of it. There are definitely times where things were a little bumpy, but they were just that. A LITTLE bumpy. However I have a great support network, and there are tons of people I know I can reach out to if anything were to go wrong. Geovisions made the process leading up to getting to Thailand as smooth as possible and they put up with all my silly questions graciously and put my mind at ease. I recommend to anyone that wants a new experience that they just go for it. I don't mean to make moving to a foreign country and starting a new life sound like a breeze because it is by no means a job for the faint hearted, but if you're up for a challenge I promise you wont regret it.

I would say to take it easy and not have expectations. The Thais are very laid-back and last minute with their planning, so it would be difficult to feel comfortable if you must have every hour planned out every day.

Firstly, before I say anything else about my experience, I think it's really important to note that one's experience teaching in Thailand is heavily dependent upon 1) what school one is placed in, 2) the quality of the agent representing you and 3) your honest, deep-down reasons for choosing to teach abroad. Providers like GeoVisions and XploreAsia (who they connect you with for training and placement in Thailand) don't have much control over where you are placed, so my feelings about my placement shouldn't be thought of as their doing. My boyfriend and I were placed in a public high school in Amphawa, Thailand, a very small town that rarely sees English-speakers. I taught grades 10-12 (M 4-6 in Thailand), and most of my students had a very low proficiency in English, despite having had years of English from Thai teachers. The experience was hugely challenging, and it took at least a month before I felt truly comfortable and like it was enjoyable. GeoVisions was fantastic in the support they provided and the promptness with which they helped us out, every time. XploreAsia also was easy to work with and very helpful, both regarding matters in the classroom and in life in Thailand in general. They leave you with very little to no choice in where you are placed, however, so that's just something to be aware of if one chooses to go through XploreAsia. My boyfriend and I really didn't mind this, as our minds and hearts were open as to where we would be teaching, but it's just something to consider for those who feel strongly about a specific destination. We loved our agent- she was extremely helpful, friendly and made us feel really welcome in Thailand, and our accommodation was fantastic- our landlady and her family are the people we miss most from this experience. We both loved our time in Thailand, but it's also what you make it. If you just go for yourself and your own needs, you may find the challenges too hard to overcome- but if you go to make a difference and to change kids' lives, I'm sure you will love the experience as much as I did.

Being in Thailand has definitely been quite the experience! I will tell you, it was definitely not love at first sight haha. It had taken me a bit of time to adjust to everything: the different climate, culture, and overall way of life... but in the end, I wouldn't trade my experience for the world! I have met so many new friends, seen some of the most amazing views, and learned a whole lot about myself, and life along the way.

The title says it all, I've been teaching in Northeastern Thailand for a year, and every day it seems like it just keeps getting better and better. There are lots of challenges of course, especially when you first start teaching at your school, but that should be expected. I teach at a public high school, and everyone at the school loves my girlfriend and I. Our hours are very fair, and we get paid enough to live comfortably in Thailand. Geovisions always answered all of our questions promptly, helped us get all of our visa paperwork sorted, and got us connected with an awesome TESOL agency in Hua Hin, called Xploreasia. My girlfriend and I were a little nervous putting our faith in a company we read about on the internet, but we got our TESOL degree, some volunteer experience, and a job within 50 days of being in Thailand. This program far exceeds all my expectations, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is ready for this kind of adventure.

I've been a teacher in northeastern Thailand for just over a month now and I LOVE it. This has been an amazing experience and I can't wait to see what the next months hold in store. I'm so happy that I went through GeoVisions because the application process was extremely transparent, took only a couple weeks (wow!) and they've provided continual support and the timeliest responses to every one of my questions. Moving abroad is a big decision and I feel so much better knowing that there is a team of people that I can count on whenever I have any questions or issues. I would absolutely recommend teaching abroad, it's unlike anything else.

The whole experience made me speechless. I didn't know what to expect coming in, and it was everything I could of hoped for and more. From day one, you meet some really amazing people all on the same boat as you- looking for a change, learning a new culture, trying to leave their comfort zone..etc. Geovisions was always there if I needed any help with visas, any advice from prior participants, and pretty much just making sure I was 100% prepared before I took off to Thailand. This was hands down one of the best decision's I have made. The Thai people are some of the kindest, optimistic, selfless people. Teaching these beautiful kids everyday and bringing happiness to their lives was one of the most rewarding feeling's. If I could, I would do it all over again.

Having never been out of the country, I decided to sing up to teach English in Thailand so I could not only have the opportunity to visit another country, but to learn about it. This was the perfect experience for that! It was just the right amount of time to get a wonderful feel for the Thai culture and to try my best to embrace it. I was able to learn Thai dancing at work and go to celebrations almost every week that helped teach me about Thailand. It also gave me time to get to know my coworkers and other Thai friends really well! It was also really neat to learn about Buddhism first-hand! It was a wonderful experience, but rough at the same time. It challenged me in ways I never thought I would be challenged. I would not take back the experience for anything. However, I would have liked to be more prepared for the program. I was not connected to the program I would be traveling with until 2 weeks before the start date. The teacher preparation in training and at the school was lacking as well. It was very difficult to teach 1,000 students of all different levels with no resources given. Despite these circumstances, it really taught me lessons in patience and going with the flow!

My overall experience in Thailand was wonderful. There was a period of culture shock and working with Thai people is very different than working in Western countries. I lived in a relatively small town in Thailand and worked at a poor public school. I taught large classes, and although the students could be a bit crazy at times, they made showing up every day worth it! It was amazing to see some of the progress these first and second grade students made in such a short time. It was hard work but very rewarding! Living in Thailand was fantastic, it doesn't take long to get your bearings and to feel safe and comfortable. The food and people in my town were great and I already miss them dearly! I would highly recommend this experience to anyone who wished to see the real Thailand!

I did not have a very good experience in Thailand. I loved the culture and the atmosphere, however I was not happy with XploreAsia and the services they provided. I feel that they took on WAY too many teachers in their 2014 November group. They were not able to accommodate all of our requests and it felt as though they did not care about us as individuals. We contacted them many times about issues at our school and they were less than helpful in regards to answering our questions and addressing our concerns. I would have rather gone through a different satellite company. Geovisions, on the other hand, has been wonderful! I have felt the personal support and guidance from the minute I signed on with the program. I would recommend Geovisions to anyone looking for a safe and exciting experience abroad.

I am currently teaching in Thailand and I am loving the experience here. GeoVisions helped me out immensely with the whole process. Going to live and work in another country can be quite daunting, but with their guidance and support, I was able to get everything in order. Especially Jodi was always just a phone call or email away if I had any questions or concerns. They made sure that I would be legal, safe and happy in my new home.